If I wanted to help make my lawn more vibrant green and lush, what is the pathway in front of me?

I’m sorry, I can’t tell what it is exactly. It was installed sod maybe a decade ago, perhaps a few years less.

My municipality allows me to water 3 days a week, so it gets 30 minutes on Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday. The watering was happening at 4:30am but I recently adjusted that 6:30am.

It gets an anti-dandelion product applied (by me via handled spreader) about twice a year, otherwise they get pretty thick. The worst part is by the tree closer to the street. I don’t think it gets the same sprinkler coverage as the rest.

This is about as long as it gets anymore… I typically mow on Monday and take it down to the 2nd lowest setting on my little mower.

You are mowing way too low, that is one of your problems right there.

You should be mowing with the mower blade set to nearly the top or at the top of the deck, that ensures healthy grass that will eventually crowd out weeds.

Everyone around here wants to mow their lawn like it’s a freaking golf course and it makes me cringe

^^^ Right, mowing higher is healthier for your grass.
For St. Augustine here in Texas use a 3-1-2 formula ratio fertilizer.

I am in Florida so I cannot guide you on your local area, but I am a retired hay farmer and understand the problems with growing grass. Nutrients, water, disease, and pests are all considerations. Call your University of California Cooperative Extension agent for your county. They will have an understanding of common ornamental lawn issues in your area and will have a lot of published literature that can be useful. Many problems are regional and there is no standard answer for growing a lush lawn.
Any number of issues could be going on there-I would start with pulling soil samples for a soil test. Your extension agent will guide you through the proper way to pull soil samples for a soil test.

I was afraid that might be part of the answer. Not sure longer but greener grass would please the Mrs. She likes the right and trim look, it seems.

If the Mrs. thinks the longer cut is "messy," consider mowing more often (still at the right height).

A lot depends on what kind of grass you're trying to maintain, not so much the exact variety, but whether cool season (Ky. bluegrass, fescues, et. al.) or warm season (Bermuda, Zoysia, etc.) Significantly different care regimes. Take a sample to your extension agent for identification.

And WRT your watering concerns under the tree, it isn't so much that the area is getting less water, but that the tree roots are drinking it up leaving less for the surface plants.

Heavy fertilization, in the absence of sufficient water, is apt to do more harm than good.

When you water is important too, try doing so in the early morning, before the sun is fully up. You lose less to evaporation that way.

quote:

Originally posted by PASig:
You are mowing way too low, that is one of your problems right there.

You should be mowing with the mower blade set to nearly the top or at the top of the deck, that ensures healthy grass that will eventually crowd out weeds.

Everyone around here wants to mow their lawn like it’s a freaking golf course and it makes me cringe

yes, this.
longer grass means longer roots. Longer roots require less water saturation.

Shade is the killer for most grasses. Putting extra nitrogen on areas that don't get 8+ hours of direct sunlight is counter productive. You might get by with 6-7 hours of sunlight depending on the variety, (fescue) but it will never be strong. I'm sure some will post exceptions to this but grasses basically evolved from the plains where it was 12 hours of sun.

Regardless of what "the Mrs. likes": Turf grass is best cut no shorter than 2-1/2 inches. Three to three-and-a-half is even better. It's a lawn, not a putting green.

Longer turf grass crowds-out weeds and promotes deeper root growth. Deeper roots improve drought-resistance.

Watering 2-3 times/week is the right way to do it, but make sure you're not putting down too little or too much. It depends upon the type of grass,the environment, and the weather patterns. In general terms it usually varies from 1 to 2 inches/week.

Over-watering a lawn will damage it as surely as under-watering. Ask me how I know

Fertilizer: Skip the big-box store stuff. Find yourself a professional landscaper/lawn-care supplier and buy the stuff they buy. I use Lesco. For spring through late summer I use Lesco 24-0-11 w/iron, slow-release. The iron really greens it up

As for the area between the tree and the sidewalk: Dunno. The photo's not real good. I'm not inclined to blame the tree, because it's just that one spot, rather than all or mostly around it.

Maybe buy a soil moisture probe and compare that spot to others around it to confirm or dismiss soil moisture as the culprit.

quote:

Originally posted by dsiets:Longer roots require less water saturation.

That's kind of backwards.

Longer roots require greater saturation, because the roots are longer. But even that is putting the cart before the horse. More correctly: Less-frequent, but longer watering promotes deeper root growth.

Fescue. I’m told it’s a type of fescue.

I’ll try trimming it higher tomorrow without mentioning it to the boss. We’ll see if I can get away with it.

quote:

Originally posted by ensigmatic:
… Less-frequent, but longer watering promotes deeper root growth.

Yes, infrequent, deep watering is far better than frequent, shallow watering.

I heard it explained to me to look at your grass like hair, a little trim off the top is what you want, you aren’t looking to give it a crewcut each time.

https://sodsolutions.com/sod-university/

Good place to look for information on how to maintain yards and grasses be specific for your area and type of grass.

Different places in the country require different approaches and at different times.


Scotts products works well, just as well as the DIY stores "boutique" products, compare the labels and you'll find the basic stuff is the same, best to buy it when you find a deal, Sams, Costco, Lowes etc.

Learn about the best treatment for your area and sod type and go from there, tips from a person in Central USA may not work well in Central CA.

Fescue fertilization should be applied middle September, again in November, and again in late March to middle April. It is not recommended to fertilize in the heat of Summer.

Get a soil test and see if you need to apply lime. If the soil ph is off the grass does not absorb the nutrients as efficiently.

I have Kentucky Bluegrass.
I put Milorganite down spring and fall.
I do water it frequently during dry times. My lawn is green and lush.
I periodically will spray a liquid organic fertilizer that is fantastic.
Best lawn in town !
Good luck!

Well by chance you want to really go off the deep end this guy as almost 300 videos on him taking care of his lawn to the extreme.

https://www.youtube.com/c/Thel...0&sort=dd&shelf_id=0

quote:

Originally posted by cparktd:
Well by chance you want to really go off the deep end this guy as almost 300 videos on him taking care of his lawn to the extreme.

https://www.youtube.com/c/Thel...0&sort=dd&shelf_id=0

The Lawn Care Nut knows his stuff. Milorganite is highly recommended. Your fertilizer needs to have iron. Iron is was makes the grass green. Milorganite is great and will not burn your lawn. You can dump half a bag in a single spot in the middle of summer and all you would get is super green grass.

quote:

Originally posted by HRK:
Different places in the country require different approaches and at different times.

This is true.

quote:

Originally posted by HRK:
Scotts products works well, just as well as the DIY stores "boutique" products, ...

Disagree.

Admittedly, we have a challenging environment. Grass is a hodgepodge of whatever; we're surrounded by "lawns" that, other than regular cutting, get no maintenance at all, and we're surrounded by wild-growth areas.

Over time we've tried it all. Even had TruGreen for a season. (More on that, below.)

Three years ago, maybe four, I decided to finally fix it myself:

• Power-raked
  
• Literally removed the bent grass invasion (it tears-up almost like carpeting)
  
• Spot-seeded
  
• Over-seeded twice (fall and the following spring)
  
• Applied no less than three selective herbicides (PBI/Gordon SpeedZone, Ortho Weed B Gone, and Syngenta Tenacity), each with non-ionic surfactants added
  
• Applied Scotts GrubEx
  
• And applied four fertilizer treatments/season (early spring, late spring/early summer, late summer, late fall/early winter)
  

The common, off-the-shelf fertilizers and fertilizers + weed control didn't touch what the pro-grade stuff I use does. Not in improving the lawn and certainly not in controlling the weeds. Not. Even. Close.

Nor did TruGreen. TruGreen did a much better job than the common homeowner stuff. Nearly as well as my own treatments, except my treatments lasted. The effects of TruGreen's treatments faded soon after we cancelled them.

Re: The late summer fertilizer application:

quote:

Originally posted by wcb6092:
It is not recommended to fertilize in the heat of Summer.

Depends on climate, that season's weather, whether you leave the clippings or pick them up, and whether or not you have an irrigation system you can run to support the lawn's response to being fed.

I can't leave the clippings. Gardens are so extensive I cannot avoid clippings getting blown into the gardens--which leads to a ton of work for my wife. Even when I do cut as regularly as I should, there will be some shorter blades that will have gone to seed. And even when I do stay aggressively atop the weed-control efforts, some will still sneak in. Since, in picking up the clippings I'm removing nutrients from the soil, I have to replace it.

We have an extensive in-ground sprinkler system (eight zones, all full), and we're on a well, so it's not hideously expensive for us to water.

Ok, so I cut weekly now, I assume that is often enough? My mower has 4 heights, I’ve been using the second lowest. I’ll try the top today and see if I can get away with that.

Another issue with my lawn is it seems to have a lot of “matted” dead/unhealthy grass. Is that due to the mowing too short? Do I need to take it out when I’m feeling better?

ensigmatic, I’m gonna give your Lesco 24-0-11 with iron a try. Will provide turf report in two weeks!